Brighter bulbs for stop, reverse, and turn signals

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john27pa

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Copied from Kevin on a diff site-will be footnoted for legal reasons lol.

Basically:
stock (cp)/ upgrade (cp) (cp=candlepower)
amber turn signal bulbs 1157 (24) 2357 (30)
rear turn/stop signals 1157 (24) P3496 (43)
Reverse lights 1156 (??) P3497 (45) or P796 (62)

Thats all he had. I heard these bulbs may be hard to find and a little expensive- around $7 each?? These bulbs are suposed to last twice as long also and have better bases for connection and non corrosion. He also sprecified to not get the chinese junk- american only.
Just helping my fellow Moparians lol.

Original equipment bulbs on most pre-'72 cars was as follows:

1034: dual-filament park/turn and brake tail. Clear bulb for use with red rear or amber front lens.

1034A or 1034NA: dual-filament park/turn. Amber bulb for use with clear front lens.

1141 or 1073: single-filament bulb. Reversing/backup lights (and single-function—brake-only, turn-only—lights not frequently found on old Mopars).

In the early '70s, the 1034 was replaced by the 1157, the 1073/1141 by the 1156. These 1150-series bulbs put out the same amount of light, but draw slightly more current and last quite a bit longer. When changing from 1034s to 1157s, often it was (and is) necessary to replace the turn signal flasher, because the original would flash too fast if used with 1157s. Nowtimes, it's difficult to find a flasher calibrated for 1034s.

So, what to use for upgrade bulbs? Well first, here's what NOT to use: 2057s! People sometimes assume that because it's a higher number, it's a brighter bulb. No. The difference between 1157 and 2057 is in the "minor" (dim parking or tail) filament. On the 2057, the dim filament produces 2 candlepower. On the 1157, the dim filament produces 3 candlepower. The difference doesn't sound like much, but it's very large as a percentage. Both 1157 and 2057 produce 32 candlepower from the bright (brake or turn) filament.

Though they are spendy, the best bulb you can use in place of 1157 is called P3496. It draws the same amount of current as 1157, but is much more efficient. It produces 43 candlepower on the bright (brake or turn) filament, and 3.5 candlepower on the dim (tail or parking) filament. It also has a nickel-plated base that is much more corrosion resistant than the plain brass base of an 1157.

The best replacement for 1156, 1141 and 1073 in all applications *except* reversing/backup lights is P3497. It produces 45 candlepower. (Yes, the 6 and the 7 in P3496 and P3497 are reversed from the 6 and the 7 in 1156 and 1157 relative to how many filaments the bulb has. This is not a typo.) The P3496 and P3497 bulbs have a life span about double that of an 1157.

The best bulb for use in backup/reverse lights is a P796. It is a 35W halogen bulb that produces 62 candlepower, or about double the light of an 1156 and about triple the light of an 1141. The extra wattage is minor (35W vs. 28W, the wires and lenses will not notice or care) and the filament is in the right place. Neither of these compliments can be said of those 50W halogen backup bulbs you see in the parts stores! 50W is wayy too much current draw (100% overload!) for the stock wiring and switch, they produce way too much heat for safety near plastic lenses, and the filament's in the wrong place so the reflector doesn't work correctly with them. The P796s work great, and you finally get to see where you're going when backing at night.

Amber bulbs are a special case. The amber coating "steals" some of the light, so the output is lower. The bright filament inside an 1157A or 1157NA produces 32 candlepower, but what comes through the amber coating is 24 candlepower. Unfortunately, there's no amber equivalent of P3496 for use in park/turn lights that have clear lenses. The next best thing is 2357A or 2357NA, which draws the same current as an 1157 and produces 30 candlepower despite the amber coating. 2357NA (or 2357A), as well as their non-amber 2357 counterparts, are considerably less expensive than P3496, but they lack P3496's anti-corrosion nickel-plated base, and they also lack P3496's Krypton gas fill, so they tend to blacken sooner than other bulbs if used in "bright" mode for prolonged periods (e.g. using a 2357 in brake lamp service). The 2357NA or 2357A works fine in front park/turn service because turn signal service is short and intermittent, which limits bulb blackening and makes overall bulb life acceptable.

Be careful when buying any of these bulbs. A lot of the major parts outlets are switching from name-brand bulbs worth buying to 3rd-world crapola not worth its blister pack. One company makes quality 3496s and 3497s, for example, that is Stanley. GE and Sylvania usually supply Stanley-made 3400-series bulbs (read the bulb base) but both marketers have been flirting with Chinese look al ikes lately.

http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=103660&highlight=67+turn+signal+bulbs
 
:-k
This reads very familiar...
C
 
If you Google a few phrases out of that post, you'll find it is POSTED IN SEVERAL PLACES on various B.S. boards.
 
:-k
This reads very familiar...
C

Hope /6 Dan pitches in on this one.
The man knows this stuff well, as he advised me on my rear light mods as far as the bulbs and power draw compared to the stocks.
I must admit that my light mods are a little different than most.
I don't have backup lights, I have all four lights working in unison with tail light lenses in place of the backup lenses.
Turn signals flash both left or right pair.
Brake lights are all four rear lights.
Not a big deal, but Dan did me right with information on candle power to make them match up nicely in brightness when they are on.

Be carefull though, cause I hear his beard is a little dangerous.:p
 
I am thinking that LEDs are the way to get more brightness. The main reason I am putting 67 taillights on my 68 fish is to get more rear light area and decrease my chances of getting rear ended at night. If I put that drag type spoiler back on that it came with I will probably put a 3rd light under it.

Any 1167 replacements in LED out there?

And of course the looks... I just like the 67 design better than the 68.
 
Not sure what this means actually,,,,

I think he means that FABO member Dan above wrote that article and other people around the web are passing it off as their own or not giving him credit for putting the information out there. Dan is our resident in-house lighting expert. :cheers:
 
Dan, I didnt realize that you had the same post-basically word for word at that, on here. I did look at the dates of when it was posted- from the one I saw and yours- yours was posted first. That "Kevin" guy that I found this from- should have done what I did- give credit to the poster. I didnt mean to stir up any bee's nests. Was just trying to pass on info to help out. Guess its another thing those chevy guys have to try and get from us Mopar guys/girls lol. No stepping on toes meant here, Sorry Dan.
 
No stepping on toes meant here, Sorry Dan.

I realize that you posted a link to where it was that you found this. Certainly not your fault that the person who posted it didn't give credit.
 
What I meant was that those who posted the info from Dan on the other sites should have given Dan credit instead of making it seem that it was their knowledge being passed on.
 
I think he means that FABO member Dan above wrote that article and other people around the web are passing it off as their own or not giving him credit for putting the information out there.

Doesn't bother me. There was no © on it. The goal is for accurate info and sound advice to crowd out guesses and marketeering and other bogus baloney. The more people posting good info, no matter where it comes from, the better. Once or twice (not on here) I've had people pass off my copyrighted work as their own as a part of their marketing/profit-making ventures. That's a problem, but that's not what happened here, as far as I can see, so I'm smilin'.
 
No stepping on toes meant here, Sorry Dan.

No offence caused, nothing stirred up, and all ten of my toes are present, accounted for, and fully inflated.

redbeard.gif
 
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